Materials handling equipment
Robots for palletizing - an example of an engineered system]] Material handling equipment is all equipment that relates to the movement, storage, control and protection of materials, goods and products throughout the process of manufacturing, distribution, consumption and disposal. Material handling equipment is the mechanical equipment involved in the complete systemhttp://www.mhia.org/learning/glossary/m. Material handling equipment is generally separated into four main categories: storage and handling equipment, engineered systems, industrial trucks, and bulk material handling. Ways in Which Material Handling Equipment Can Improve Efficiency Material handling equipment is used to increase output, control costs, and maximize productivity. There are several ways to determine if the material handling equipment is achieving peak efficiency. These include capturing all relevant data related to the warehouse’s operation (such as SKUs), measuring how many times an item is “touched” from the time it is ordered until it leaves the building, making sure you are using the proper picking technology, and keeping system downtime to a minimum...... Types of Material Handling Equipment Storage and handling equipment Storage and handling equipment is a category within the material handling industry. The equipment that falls under this description is usually non-automated storage equipment. Products such as Pallet rack, shelving, carts, etc. belong to storage and handling. Many of these products are often referred to as "catalogue" items because they generally have globally accepted standards and are often sold as ex-stock materials out of Material handling catalogues. Engineered systems Engineered systems are typically custom engineered material handling systems. Conveyors, Handling Robots, AS/RS, AGV and most other automated material handling systems fall into this category. Engineered systems are often a combination of products integrated to one system. Many distribution centers will optimize storage and picking by utilizing engineered systems such as pick modules and sortation systems. Equipment and utensils used for processing or otherwise handling edible (food) product or ingredients must be of such material and construction to facilitate thorough cleaning and to ensure that their use will not cause the adulteration of product during processing, handling, or storage. Equipment and utensils must be maintained in sanitary condition so as not to adulterate product. Industrial trucks Industrial trucks usually refer to operator driven motorized warehouse vehicles, powered manually, by gasoline, propane or electricallyhttp://www.mhia.org/learning/glossary/i. Industrial trucks assist the material handling system with versatility; they can go where engineered systems cannot. Forklift trucks are the most common example of industrial trucks but certainly aren't the extent of the category. Tow tractors and stock chasers are additional examples of industrial trucks. Bulk material handling Bulk material handling equipment is used to move and store bulk materials such as ore, liquids, and cereals. This equipment is often seen on farms, mines, shipyards and refineries. This category is also explained in Bulk material handling. On-rails transfer cart On-rails transfer cart is a kind of material handling equipment. It moves on the rails and can transfer heavy cargoes or equipment with the weight 1-300t between the workshops or warehouses in the factory. It widely use in the line of metallurgy, coal, heavy manufacturing, automative assembly and so on. It`s power can be DC power and AC power. DC Power has rail transmit the power, battery power; AC power includes cable power and slippery touch line power. There is also manual rail transfer cart or towed rail transfer cart. (also known as a motorized transfer trolley in some countries. See also :related technologies include *Pallets *Forklift truck *Conveyor belt *Industrial Tractors * ISO Container ** Container ship ** Sketal trailer * Auger * IBC * Skip *Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems ** AGV *Carton flow *Mezzanine floors - a common way of increasing space for storage of materials References External links * Material Handling Equipment Taxonomy * Material Handling Industry of America * Motorized Transfer Cart Industry of China * Rail Transfer Cart Taxonomy * Material Handling Equipment Guides * Category:Industrial equipment Category:Packaging machinery